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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · mine · mate · toast · file · dip · tear · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. mate — a friend
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mate — to breed
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. file — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. file — a document
  11. date — the fruit
  12. tear — to rip
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. toast — bread
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com